Monograph Series No. 1: Indonesia on the Threshold of Population Ageing

In the early 1970s, Indonesian women had an average of 5 to 6 children. Recognizing high fertility as major factor contributing to widespread poverty, the government launched a comprehensive family planning programme to bring it down. The programme came to be rated as one of the most successful in the World. Indonesia being a predominantly Muslim country made the success of the family planning all the more spectacular. The Indonesian experience was used as an example of how proponents of family planning could engage and work with orthodox religious groups.